2_Minnesota Vikings2

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by that point. Mistral Raymond and Jamarca Sanford struggled
in Smith’s place, routinely getting beat by receivers deep and over
the middle. With Smith’s return, the Vikings pass coverage should
get tighter and their defense as a whole should get a lot more
physical. Don’t expect Minnesota’s defense to dominate in 2014,
but if it does, Smith will likely be one of the biggest reasons why.
Vikings Special Teams
Special teams as a whole were a huge bright spot in what was
otherwise a tough season for Minnesota. Cordarrelle Patterson
established himself as one of the most dangerous open-field
runners in the league, averaging 32.4 yards per kickoff return
and scoring two touchdowns. He should be back in the kick
return role, placing pressure on opposing kickers to force kickoffs
deep into the end zone and earning touchbacks instead of
allowing big returns.
Marcus Sherels is set to return punts; he was very good in
this role last year, averaging 15.2 yards per punt return although
opponent punts
were few and far
between. Blair
Walsh will return
for his third season
as the Vikings’
kicker. Walsh’s
career is off to a
great start as he’s
converted 61 of 68
field goal attempts
in two seasons. Jeff
Locke will handle punting duties; his rookie performance in 2013
was solid but unspectacular.
Prediction
Cordarelle Patterson
TOM DAHLIN/GETTY IMAGES SPORT
With a new head coach, rookie quarterback, Peterson and a
plethora of offensive weapons, there are reasons for optimism in
Minnesota. However, the defense still has holes, particularly at
linebacker, and Bridgewater has a lot to prove after his draft day
slide. The Vikings are a team in transition and are most likely
to finish in last place in the NFC North, with something close
to a 6-10 record.
Key Additions:
DT Linval Joseph, CB Captain Munnerlyn, DT Corey Wootton
Key Subtractions:
DE Jared Allen, RB Toby Gerhart, DT Letroy Guion, DT Kevin Williams
Rookies:
LB Anthony Barr, QB Teddy Bridgewater, DE Scott Crichton, RB Jerick
McKinnon, G David Yankey, CB Antone Exum, CB Kendall James, DT
Shamar Stephen, LB Brandon Watts, CB Jabari Price
SCOREBOARD
2013 2012 2011 2010 2009
PLAYOFF FINISH --- WC --- --- CC
REGULAR SEASON W-L 5-10-
1
10-6 3-13 6-10 12-4
POINTS PER GAME 24.4 23.7 21.3 17.6 29.4
POINTS ALLOWED PER GAME 30.0 21.8 28.1 21.8 19.5
YARDS PER GAME 344 337 330 315 380
YARDS ALLOWED PER GAME 398 350 358 313 306
TURNOVERS 32 23 26 37 18
TAKEAWAYS 20 22 23 26 24
from contending for a Super Bowl, so they allowed Allen to leave
for Chicago and Kevin Williams to leave for Seattle. To replace
Allen, the Vikings will promote Everson Griffen, who they gave
a big free-agent contract despite being a career backup to this
point. Minnesota also signed former New York Giants defensive
tackle Linval Joseph to replace Williams. Joseph is similar to
Williams as a tackle good at both stopping the run and pressuring
the quarterback.
The biggest problem in Minnesota last year was the
secondary, which routinely allowed opposing wide receivers
to get wide open. Every team the Vikings faced last year scored
at least 20 points except Detroit in the meaningless weak 17
game. Defensive backs like Chris Cook and Josh Robinson were
overwhelmed, and an injury to safety Harrison Smith only
made things worse.
To address this problem, the Vikings signed former Panthers
cornerback Captain Munnerlyn. Munnerlyn will start opposite
Xavier Rhodes, who was easily Minnesota’s best cover corner
despite being a rookie last season. With Munnerlyn, Rhodes,
and Smith in the secondary, there’s potential for dramatic
improvement in the Vikings’ pass defense.
Perhaps the most important addition is the signing of head
coach Mike Zimmer, a former defensive coordinator highly
respected around the league. Zimmer is likely to give the Vikings
a more attacking and aggressive defensive identity than the
cover-2 shell they used under Frazier. Even so, the Vikings
still have a weak linebacking corps, a young secondary, and
an unproven defensive line. This defense is most likely going
to struggle again, just not to the same horrid extent as they
struggled in 2013.
Defensive Player to Watch
When the Vikings selected Smith with the 29th pick in the
2012 draft, they were hoping to get a physical presence in the
secondary, a player who could help in both pass coverage and run
support. Smith fulfilled those wishes almost immediately, making
a quick positive impression in his rookie season as he established
himself as a great tackler and run defender. Smith gained a lot
of attention for some hard hits on Detroit wide receiver Calvin
Johnson in particular.
Last season, a bad secondary got worse when Smith went
down with a turf toe injury. He would return late in the season,
but far too late as the Vikings were well out of playoff contention